Murrieta Mesa blanks Great Oak behind Hauser
Lilly Hauser quickly packed things into her softball bag and darted to the parking lot. She had a job to get to.
Murrieta Mesa’s sophomore ace already had taken care of some important business inside of the pitcher’s circle Thursday.
Hauser delivered one of the finest performances of her burgeoning high school career, tossing a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts as the Rams pulled away for a 9-0 victory over Great Oak in the first clash between Southwestern League title contenders.
Thursday afternoon’s showdown was shaping up to be a classic pitchers’ duel between Hauser and Great Oak’s Miali Guachino. Hauser and Guachino matched zeroes on the scoreboard for four innings, as both pitchers allowed only one base hit.
Kenzie Farrier led off Murrieta Mesa’s half of the fifth with a single, and she moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Great Oak coach Fernando Ornelas elected to intentionally walk Taelyn Holley and Hauser, two of the Rams’ most dangerous hitters, and let Guachino face Victoria Prado. A similar strategy paid off for the Ornelas and the Wolfpack in the third inning.
Prado struck out during her first two trips to the plate Thursday and faced an 0-2 count in the third one. Prado was able to get her bat on the ball and lift a soft fly ball to short left field. Three Great Oak players gave chase, but the ball dropped down to the ground for a single. Farrier and Holley came across to score and give Murrieta
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Mesa a 2-0 advantage.
“It was a routine pop fly. We should have been out of the inning and still in a scoreless game,” Ornelas lamented.
Murrieta Mesa (14-2 overall, 5-0 in league) made sure the floodgates stayed open. Paige Bambarger ripped a double down the left-field line to plate two more runs, and Macy Clark capped the big inning with an RBI single to center.
“We were playing for one run early because that’s what it looked like it was going to take to win this game today,” Murrieta Mesa coach Antonio Romero said. “We took advantage of a mistake. There was no turning back after that.”
Gauchino exited the game after Clark’s single. She finished with eight strikeouts, six of which came in succession.
Hauser used a mix of screwballs, rise balls and change-ups to keep Great Oak (3-4-1, 2-1) hitters offbalance, and Hauser got stronger as the game progressed. She struck out two batters the first time through the order, five the second time through, and six the third.
“I think having that cushion really helped her,” Romero said. “With one run, Lilly knows she can shut it down and win. With a lead like the one she had today, she really just started dealing. She looked really relaxed out there, and she’s matured a lot.”
Hauser is now 10-0. “I have realized I have to keep that (negative) body language inside whenever I’m frustrated,” she said. “I used to get angry in those moments. Now I try to stay focused and not let everything get to me.”